Syberia

Story is awesome, graphics too, but game might be a little faster. When you walk somewhere, or just want to perform some action, you have to be patient

Syberia is a classic adventure gem which was made many years ago, back in the year 2002. Since then, event although the game may feel somewhat dated to some, its charming story and simple, beautiful graphics make this game still enjoyable in the year 2018. In my eyes, Syberia is a relaxed, well-written story to enjoy during long winter evenings, when you are feeling lazy. A lovely, artistic piece of a game, which won't give you any headaches while advancing further in the story towards the very end of it.

Insgesamt ein schönes Abenteuer, das aber vom Rätseldesign nicht 100% überzeugen kann. Zudem bleibt imho der Hauptcharakter etwas blass, eine April Ryan aus "The Longest Journey" (welches dafür andere Schwachpunkte hat) kam da deutlich besser rüber. Auch, und das ist für mich der größte Schwachpunkt, ergötzen sich die Macher zu sehr an ihrem (durchaus gelungenen) Artwork. Es gibt einfach viel zu viele unnötige Szenen, die man auch noch mehrfach durchqueren muss, ohne dass dort etwas zu tun wäre. Das hätte man kompakter gestalten müssen.

Linear? Yes. Lot of "adventure game logic" (read "kind of stupid") puzzles? Check. Annoying ammount of objects you'd like to interact with and places you'd love to explore except you can't? Indeed. Has any of it ruined my playthrough (second one, after finishing the game about 15 years ago and forgetting most of the details and puzzle solutions in the meantime)? Not really. Syberia may not be the best adventure game and it certainly isn't the most challenging one. But it has never bothered me much. Why? Because once you enter its world (and if you're willing to accept its somewhat arbitrary limitations as to what our protagonist can do and where she can go) you will soon find yourself immersed in a captivating story (with some truly touching moments) inside one of the most unique and beautiful sceneries ever seen in a video game. In this sense, its linearity and lack of options to fiddle with stuff outside the main storyline actually helps the pacing, as you'll rarely get stuck for too long even on your first playthrough. Think of it as an interactive novel and you won't be disappointed!

One of the, if not the, best games of all time. And the sequel was just as good.